Pizza delivery driver thwarts armed robbery

PEORIA — A pizza delivery driver thwarted an armed robbery involving a male he recognized early Thursday in the East Bluff.

Someone ordered a pizza from Bacci’s Pizzeria about 2:40 a.m. to a home that was later found to be vacant in the 700 block of East Kansas Street.

When the driver arrived, a black male with a long ponytail and short beard, wearing a black hoodie, blue jeans and black gloves approached the vehicle and pressed a handgun to the deliveryman’s side.

“Put everything down and empty your pockets,” the robber told the victim, according to a report on the incident.

The victim said he didn’t have anything, then grabbed the gun from his attacker when the robber looked beyond the victim to survey the contents of the vehicle. The robber reached into the car and retrieved the gun before fleeing on foot.

The victim told police he recognized the robber as a 17-year-old male who he could name. Police searched for the suspect but did not immediately apprehend him.